Key data for Guatemala

NCI18th HRCI1st HANCI4th
HANCI compares 45 countries for their performance on 22 indicators of political commitment to reduce hunger and undernutrition. All the countries compared in the index have high rates of hunger and undernutrition. The comparative approach of the index means that country scores are calculated in relation to the political commitment of the other countries in the index.
Existing rates of: Stunting: 46.7% Wasting: 0.8% Proportion of population underweight: 0.8% Source: Government of Guatemala (DHS,2015)

Strong Performance

  • The Government investment in the health sector is comparatively high at 17.2% of total public spending in 2017.
  • The Government of Guatemala has ensured tenure security for rural populations. Land titling is common and land markets function well. Policy promotes equitable access to common property resources.
  • The Government encourages varied agricultural research and extension services, and local farmer organisations are involved in setting policy priorities. The extension system is effective and properly reaches out to poor farmers. Government policies, strategies and mechanisms seek to ensure gender equity in access to extension services.
  • In Guatemala, the law gives women economic rights equal to men. These rights are upheld in practice to reduce women’s vulnerability to hunger and undernutrition.
  • Relative to other HANCI countries, Guatemala’s medium/long term national development policy (Política General de Gobierno 2016 - 2020) assigns strong importance to nutrition.
  • Guatemala instituted a separate budget line for nutrition, enabling transparency and accountability for spending.
  • The National Nutrition Policy/Strategy identifies time bound nutrition targets and a multisectoral and multistakeholder policy coordination mechanism has been set up.
  • The Government of Guatemala promotes complementary feeding practices.
  • 95.2% of the population of Guatemala in 2017 has access to an improved drinking water source.
  • In Guatemala 91.3% of women aged 15-49 were visited at least once during pregnancy by skilled health personnel in 2014-2015.
  • In Guatemala, constitutional protection of the right to food and the right to social security is strong.

Areas for improvement

  • In Guatemala, the law gives women equal access to agricultural land as men. However, these laws are not effectively enforced and discriminatory practices against women continue, increasing their vulnerability to hunger and undernutrition.
  • Policymakers in Guatemala do not benefit from regular nutrition surveys that are statistically representative at national level. The last survey was published in 2014-2015.
  • The Government of Guatemala has achieved two high doses of vitamin A supplementation for only 26% of children in 2017.
  • Weak access to improved sanitation facilities (65.1% in 2017) obstructs better hunger and nutrition outcomes.
  • Social safety nets in Guatemala are basic and only cover few risks for a limited number of beneficiaries.

Hunger Reduction Commitment Index (HRCI)

Public Spending Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Public spending on agriculture as share of total public spending
?
1.6%201639th
Public spending on health as share of total public spending
?
17.2%20171st
Policies Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Access to land (security of tenure)
?
Strong2019Joint 6th
Access to agricultural research and extension services
?
Strong2019Joint 14th
Civil registration system — coverage of live births
?
96.5%2014-20152nd
Functioning of social protection systems
?
Weak2018Joint 11th
Laws Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Level of constitutional protection of the right to food
?
Strong2017Joint 1st
Equality of women’s access to agricultural land
?
In Law, not in Practice2019Joint 3rd
Equality of women’s economic rights
?
In Law & Practice2019Joint 1st
Constitutional right to social security
?
Yes2008Joint 1st

Nutrition Commitment Index (NCI)

Public Spending Score Year NCI rank of 45
Separate budget for nutrition
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Policies Score Year NCI rank of 45
Vitamin A supplementation coverage for children
?
26%201740th
Government promotes complementary feeding
?
Yes2015Joint 1st
Population with access to an improved water source
?
95.2%20175th
Population with access to improved sanitation
?
65.1%20179th
Health care visits for pregnant women
?
91.3%2014-2015Joint 24th
Nutrition features in national development policy
?
Strong2016-20205th
National Nutrition Policy/Strategy
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Multisector and multistakeholder policy coordination
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Time bound nutrition targets
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
National nutrition survey in last 3 years
?
No2014-2015Joint 39th
Laws Score Year NCI rank of 45
Enshrine ICBMS in domestic law
?
Many Aspects Enshrined2019Joint 19th